RVC terminates Beiseker Airport Tax Sharing Agreement
In October of 2009, RVC council directed County administration to include a contribution to the Village of Beiseker in the County’s 2010 budget that would, “represent the transfer of the annual municipal tax collected from the Beiseker Airport’s facilities.”
The County maintained this practice from 2010 to 2020 before formalizing the practice in 2020 with the Beiseker Airport Tax Revenue Sharing Agreement at an October, 2020 council meeting. In 2023, the County provided $13,572 in property tax to the Village.
On January 31, 2024, the Village of Beiseker notified County administration that it had sold the Beiseker Airport to a third party in the Fall of 2023. Administration then contacted the Village regarding the tax sharing agreement, with the Village agreeing that the cancellation was appropriate since they no longer operate the facility.
According to the administration's report presented to council, since the Village of Beiseker is no longer responsible for operating or maintaining the airport, the rationale for the tax sharing agreement is no longer valid.
Council voted unanimously to provide the Village of Beiseker with a written notice of the Airport Tax Sharing Agreement cancellation.
The airport will now fall fully under Rocky View County's jurisdiction.
County accepts Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir community responses as information
As part of the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) project, Rocky View County (RVC) council directed County administration to undertake a full internal review of the draft SR1 Land Use Plan, and to invite feedback from local landowners, residents, and community groups in the area.
At the latest council meeting, administration presented their findings from various feedback sessions to council.
Administration was able to identify several areas of concern within and around the SR1 Lands. The concerns primarily covered public access and operational items, including clearer policies to support safe public access, as well as the clarification on the connections into the SR1 lands.
According to administration officials, who had collected information from county residents through open houses and surveys, county residents were concerned about safe public access along the Springbank Dam structure during low risk periods.
Around 89 per cent of survey respondents believed that the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Land Use Plan needs clearer policies allowing for the greatest amount of safe public access. And 92 per cent of respondents agreed that the Province needs to provide more clarity on the road and pathway connections into SR1.
Residents also voiced concerns about operational procedures, like seasonal grazing and the monitoring of the SR1 management process.
Council voted unanimously to receive the information collected by administration as information.
RVC allows for City of Calgary to purchase county lands for Prairie Sky Cemetery
In November 2023, the City of Calgary contacted RVC, indicating to the County that the City was considering the purchase of a parcel of land located in the county for the purposes of future cemetery expansion.
The existing Prairie Sky Cemetery, which opened in 2021 and is located to the east side of Ralph Klein Park within the City of Calgary, reportedly offers a variety of services including in-ground burial plots, in-ground cremation burial plots and green burials.
The lands that the City is interested in purchasing consist of about 130 acres nearby, which would allow for the City to expand the existing cemetery. According to the report presented to council by a representative of the County’s Intergovernmental Services department, the City has indicated that the purchase would align with its long-term cemetery needs.
However, even though the City wants to expand the cemetery, the council report states that immediate construction or operation of cemetery facilities are not anticipated. The report also mentions that the parcel of land the City wants to buy consists of 130 acres, of which, “85 acres are assessed to be usable for future cemetery services and the remaining 45 acres have identified wetlands that would be preserved.”
The reason this issue was brought forward to council is because the Municipal Government Act requires municipalities seeking to purchase land from another municipality to do so by seeking written consent after a council vote.
Council voted unanimously to allow the City of Calgary to purchase the lands in question.
